The Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi
Hammurabi, the ruler of the Mesopotamian Empire and creator of the 282 laws in the Code of Hammurabi, was born in 1792 BC (Horne 1). During his reign from 1795 to 1750 BC, King Hammurabi formed the earliest set of laws that the Babylonian citizens abided by (Horne 1). He strongly believed in enforcing law and order, with hopes of creating a justice system, all the while taking into account of the social and business circumstances of the citizens (Horne 3). The codes were inscribed upon an eight feet long stone, which made it impossible to tamper with them (Horne 1). They were written in Akkadian, the common language of Babylon, which allowed for it to be read by any person living there (Horne 1). Also, the writing was very precise and each law was very authoritative and descriptive which made the codes very reliable since it applied for a wide population (Horne 1). The document was evidently made for the public; Hammurabi produced it such, so that people were to read the inscribed laws and obey them (Horne 1). In the early twentieth century, French archaeologists found the Code of Hammurabi in Persia, which had been transported from Babylon. Today, the document is situated in the Louvre museum in Paris (Horne 24). Consequently, was the Code of Hammurabi effective during that time period? Hammurabi created these laws with the intention of being “fair” – he aimed to satisfy everyone by being rational about his laws, but quite severe when it came to the punishment. For example, law 23 states “If the robber is not caught, then shall he who was robbed claim under oath the amount of his loss; then shall the community, and […] on whose ground and territory and in whose domain it was compensate him for the goods stolen” (Ancient History Sourcebook). In simpler terms, if the robber were to get caught, then he would clearly be sentenced to death. However, if not, the man that has been robbed will be returned of whatever has gone missing by the
Hammurabi, the ruler of the Mesopotamian Empire and creator of the 282 laws in the Code of Hammurabi, was born in 1792 BC (Horne 1). During his reign from 1795 to 1750 BC, King Hammurabi formed the earliest set of laws that the Babylonian citizens abided by (Horne 1). He strongly believed in enforcing law and order, with hopes of creating a justice system, all the while taking into account of the social and business circumstances of the citizens (Horne 3). The codes were inscribed upon an eight feet long stone, which made it impossible to tamper with them (Horne 1). They were written in Akkadian, the common language of Babylon, which allowed for it to be read by any person living there (Horne 1). Also, the writing was very precise and each law was very authoritative and descriptive which made the codes very reliable since it applied for a wide population (Horne 1). The document was evidently made for the public; Hammurabi produced it such, so that people were to read the inscribed laws and obey them (Horne 1). In the early twentieth century, French archaeologists found the Code of Hammurabi in Persia, which had been transported from Babylon. Today, the document is situated in the Louvre museum in Paris (Horne 24). Consequently, was the Code of Hammurabi effective during that time period? Hammurabi created these laws with the intention of being “fair” – he aimed to satisfy everyone by being rational about his laws, but quite severe when it came to the punishment. For example, law 23 states “If the robber is not caught, then shall he who was robbed claim under oath the amount of his loss; then shall the community, and […] on whose ground and territory and in whose domain it was compensate him for the goods stolen” (Ancient History Sourcebook). In simpler terms, if the robber were to get caught, then he would clearly be sentenced to death. However, if not, the man that has been robbed will be returned of whatever has gone missing by the
Cited: "Ancient History Sourcebook: Code of Hammurabi, C. 1780 BCE." Internet History Sourcebooks. Trans. L.W. King. Fordham University, 1998. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. Horne, Charles F. "The Code of Hammurabi Introduction." The Avalon Project. Yale Law School, 2008. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.